Hello, everyone,
Welcome to the first Book Club thread... let's hope it works out and it's something we can all enjoy.
Due to time constraints, for the first month we are discussing short stories by Edgar Allen Poe. The format is open to any discussion you wish to have about the topic at hand, but if you're looking for something to stimulate some discussion you are welcome to use the questions below or come up with some of your own for others to answer.
Possible Topics for Discussion
- Which of Poe's short stories did you enjoy the most and why? What message did it send?
- Which of Poe's short stories were not so enjoyable and why?
-Poe has been called the father of science fiction on the basis of fantasies and hoaxes he wrote in his short stories. Do you agree with this analysis?
-Poe has also been called the father of the detective story. In reading any of his stories of detection did you notice the use of any literary devices that have been used subsequent to Poe's usage of them?
-Poe believed that a short story should concentrate upon 'a certain unique or single effect'. What examples of this did you notice?
-Julian Symons said, "Poe seems always to be trying to express something that he does not dare to say, and this sense of something unstated in the stories, of a final curtain never pulled aside, adds to their effectiveness." Do you agree with this statement, and if so what is it you think Poe is trying to express that he does not dare to say?
-Poe was known to be a heavy drinker. Do you think this had an effect on what or how he wrote?
Next Month
Next month we will be discussing The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. This selection was suggested by AWAKE&WATCHING.
If you have any book suggestions you would like added to the list please send me a pm.
Thanks,
Jackie